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Fig. | * Map of Marshall Islands showing fallout area (broken lines). Rongelap
inhabitants were located at southernmost
portion of atoll
the vicinity of four inhabited Marshall
Islands. As a result 23 Japanese fisher-
men
aboard
the
Lucky Dragon, 28
United States servicemen stationed on
Rongerik atoll, and 239 Marshallese were
exposed to ionizing radiations from radioactive fallout.’ Sixty-four inhabitants of
Rongelap atoll (Fig. 1), located 105
miles from the detonation site, received
the heaviest exposure to fallout—an estimated 175 total body gammairradiation, contamination and subsequent beta
burns of the skin, and some internal
absorption of radioactive material.? On
adjacent Ailingnae Island, an additional
group of 18 Rongelapese received about
half this exposure. Approximately the
same amount, 70 R, was received by 28
U. S. servicemen stationed on Rongerik
atoll. Fallout also was deposited on
Utenk Island, 200 miles from Bikini.
On Uterik, 157 Marshallese were sub-
jected to about 14 R whole-body gamma
irradiation.
NATURE OF FALLOUT
According to Conard,* fallout of radioactive material on Rongelap was observed
approximately 4 to 6 hours after detona-
tion. This material consisted mainly of
Pad
P.3
calcium oxide from incinerated coral plus
adherentfission products. On Rongelap,
the most heavily contaminated island,
fallout was a snowlike powder. It fell
over a period of several hours, whitening
the hair and adheringto the skin. Fallout
on Rongerik and Ailingnae was mistlike
in appearance and on Uterik, it was
invisible.
THERAPY AND SUBSEQUENT
COURSE OF EVENTS
Exposed inhabitants of these islands were
transported to nearby Kwajalein Naval
Base two days after the detonation. At
the base, they received extensive care for
a period of three months; however, den-
tal examinations and records were not
obtained at this time.
Three months after the thermonuclear
detonation, radiation surveys of these
previously inhabited islands showed that
only Rongelap was highly contaminated.
Radioactivity in the otherislands was low
enough for safe habitation. The Ameri-
can servicemen were returned to their
duty stations because of generally nega-
tive findings. The Uterik people also
were allowed to return to their home
island. Because Rongelap atoll was considered to be too highly contaminated,
the Rongelap people were taken to